Yes! You can send more than 100 SMS per day after 27th September

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recently released ‘The Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference (sixth amendment) Regulations, 2011’ in which it suggests that though restricitions of 100 SMS/day per SIM will apply but with certain exceptions attached to it.

Restricting users who are sending SMS for personal purpose or non-commercial purpose is really stupid, however, according to the recent amendment Mobile subscribers will be allowed to send more than 100 SMS/day per SIM. Read this (excerpt from ‘The Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference (sixth amendment) Regulations, 2011’).

“No Access Provider shall permit sending of more than one hundred SMS per day per SIM:

Provided that in case of post paid telephone number the Access Provider shall not permit more than three thousand SMS per SIM per month:

Provided further that in case of post paid telephone number, the Access Provider shall not permit sending of more than one hundred SMS per day per SIM from a date to be notified by the Authority;

The Authority may by direction, from time to time, specify the category of SMS which shall be excluded from the limit of one hundred SMS per day per SIM:

Provided that before permitting a customer to send specified category of SMS beyond the limit of one hundred SMS per day per SIM, the Access Provider shall obtain an undertaking from such customer that he shall not use such telephone number for sending any commercial communications:

Provided further that the Access Provider shall enter, in the list maintained in the National Telemarketer Register, the telephone number, name and address of the customer, category of exempted SMS and date of permitting sending of SMS beyond limit of one hundred SMS per day per SIM and the said list shall be updated every Monday.”

So, it’s clear that you will be able to send more than 100 SMS/day per SIM if the SMS that category sent, which is excluded by TRAI. However, there is no clarity how TRAI will decide the category or categories. I expect these categories will include festivals and Blackout days on which telecom operators mint a good amount of money from SMS.

I am not in favor of any kinda restriction on sending SMS, users should be allowed to send any number of SMS they want. There are better ways to tackle issue of SPAM SMS instead of restricting the user. Here are what I suggest to TRAI : Take an undertaking from users who send non-commercial SMS, that they will never send commercial SMS. This can be done through IVR or send by sending a SMS to the user, to which he/she has to reply in Yes or No. Those users do not adhere to what they promised should fined heavily

What do you think about the recent modification in the restrictions on sending 100 SMS/day per SIM? Do let us know.